


Seedlings

by GhostOfStarman



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3
Genre: F/M, Growing Up, Minor characters are not tagged, Minor relationships are not tagged, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27941432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostOfStarman/pseuds/GhostOfStarman
Summary: A noise interrupts him, and he completely stops. It’s the sound of a baby, and in his line of work and experience, Lucas knows that it’s the sound of one that is weak, and it’s coming from inside the bush.When Lucas finds a baby inside a snowy bush on a dark street on a cold winter day, he knows that his life is going to change in the most drastic of ways. Life goes on, in the most memorable way as the baby grows, and Lucas knows he wouldn't have traded this for the world.Baby Ninten AU
Relationships: Ana/Ninten (Mother 1)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. Snowman

* * *

The door closes shut with a rush of icy wind as Lucas steps out of the building. The cold air makes him instinctively wrap his red scarf around his neck as his breaths come out as a mist. Satisfied with the newfound warmth around his throat, he starts down the street, letting his eyes wander.

Holidays lights shine bright and festive, red and white coming from every direction around the block, and Lucas smiles at the gentle chimes of bells and the echo of children’s laughter from down the street. He has always loved the Holiday season, and since it was finally the month of December, the townsfolk of Tazmily were taking no chance at missing out on the festivities.

Snow had also managed to fall a couple of inches above the pavement, forming a soft blanket over the previous green lawns of the neighborhood. Disrupted with several pairs of footsteps, small and childish, the perfect layer of white was ruined by imperfections that were quickly filling up. Hearing the voices of children grow louder as he continued down the street, Lucas decides to take a different way home, not wanting to become a victim of crossfire in a snowball fight.

He turns, and starts down a different street.

•••

This street, unlike the previous one, is barren. Lucas almost frowns at this, his eyes straining for a glimpse of anything festive only to find none. How odd, he muses, this part of the neighborhood almost felt dark in a way.

That’s when he hears it. It’s so faint, so quiet, that Lucas almost mistakens it for the wind, or even a small animal that is late to hibernating. But something told him he was wrong, his internal instincts tugging at his chest as he frowns, and glances around.

So he continues down the street, looking around in confusion as he strains his ears, listening intently, but hears nothing but the white noise of wind and faint snowfall. In his distracted state, he completely misses a miscellaneous bush jutting out of the island in the center of the neighborhood, and he stumbles, loose powdery snow falling into his shoes and socks. His shoes and the bottom of his pants were now covered in snow, and he groans, and loathes the feeling of the snow in his shoes start to melt.

As he knelt down to brush the powder off, a noise interrupts him, and he freezes.

It’s the sound of a baby, and in his line of work, Lucas knows that it’s the sound of one that is weak, and it’s coming from inside the bush.

He gets up, and slowly moves the icy evergreen leaves apart. This time the sound is much louder, and when he looks down, he lets out a gasp.

Covered in snow and shivering is a baby, no younger than an infant. The baby was wrapped in nothing more than a thin red blanket around his waist, and his eyes were closed, lashes dusted in snow as he lay there under the bush pitifully. As Lucas runs a hand through a tuft of the baby’s sopping wet black hair, the baby’s pale purple lips part slightly, letting out a quiet but distressed sound, and a pang of grief fills his heart.

He immediately gets the message. This baby was not wanted.

He works quickly, pulling his scarf off, securing it around the baby’s head like a hood. Thankfully, with years of experience, his mother knew what she was doing, having knitted thick winter scarfs and mittens just like this one in the past when he and his brother Claus were still children. The baby, now snug and secure in the scarf, quietly whimpers again, and Lucas checks for a pulse. It’s slow, but Lucas is thankful for it nevertheless, being the only sign that the baby is still alive besides the occasional noises he makes.

His grip never loosens on the baby as he hurries on home.

•••

He’s running warm water through the faucet of his bathroom sink, and the now much more livelier baby giggles every time a distracted Lucas cups the water into his hand, squinting his eyes whenever Lucas gently poured it over the baby’s forehead. He never takes his eyes off of the blond, and Lucas, although conflicted, manages a smile.

He’s been trying to comprehend his emotions towards the situation at hand.

Anger was a huge one, at the baby’s parents, neglectful and borderline abusive by leaving their baby out in the cold like that. Although Lucas understands that he cannot fully understand the parents situation, it was still no excuse to leave a helpless child out in the middle of a cold winter, especially in nothing but a thin blanket that barely covered him.

The sound of gurgling pulls him out of his thoughts as he looks down, and their eyes meet. Lucas marvels at the color, blue eyes that looked remarkably similar to his own, and the baby’s eyes crinkle as he giggles, reaching up with his two small hands towards Lucas’s face.

So Lucas pulls him closer, and lets the baby poke at his cheek, and the child coos as he starts to tug on blond strands of hair.

He was just so small, his bright blue eyes so curious, that Lucas couldn’t resist a smile as he felt something warm bubble in his chest, pushing away his thoughts.

“Let’s get you into something warmer, little guy.” He murmurs, and the baby grabs his shirt, giggling as a blue and white checkered tea towel is wrapped around him, and they leave the bathroom.

•••

A few days pass by, and Lucas is struck by the thought that the baby does not have a name.

He watches the baby crawl around, wearing a blue and yellow onesie his mother had made for Claus before they were born. Lucas, being a person who holds items with memories attached to them has kept his baby clothing, and how convenient that it would come in handy in this sudden situation.

Lucas smiles as the baby examines the room with curious doe eyes. Lucas doesn’t have any children’s toys, and he makes himself a mental note to get some for him later, and he’s pulled out of his thoughts for the second time today as the kid finds something on the ground. It’s too small to see what it is, but Lucas immediately stands up, letting out a sound of alarm as the baby decides to bite down on the delicious looking item.

Upon closer inspection, and a lot of pulling, Lucas pulls a drool splattered Nintendo cartridge of Breath of the Wild- with a very visible bite mark on it- out of the now crying baby’s mouth. He curses Claus, as he pulls the baby towards him in hopes of calming him, for leaving something so small and significant so carelessly on the ground.

With a sigh, he laments for the loss of his save file, before turning to the baby, who gazes up at him with teary blue doe eyes, sniffling.

As he pulls the baby close to him, running a hand through his hair in an effort to soothe it, Lucas makes another mental note about baby-proofing his house, dismissing his previous thought about a name for the baby.

Lucas feels like he has one in mind.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guess who stayed up for two nights in a row binge-writing this. I can't exactly just waste the moment of inspiration, so I rode it out and now my sleep schedule is fucked and I'm sleeping through classes. Oh well, at least they're not hard. This was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but I just had an explosion of different ideas, so now it's a shortfic (hopefully, I can't do longfics I always lose motivation). I will try to fit this story into 5 chapters, but it could always change more or less.
> 
> Baby Ninten is such a cute trope, I was watching this cute fan anime on YouTube, and watching a little Ninten hop through the snow made my heart melt. I highly recommend anyone watch the channel content, their channel is "WatanoLemonT", and the one I was inspired off of is the one where Ninten and Lloyd head towards Snowman to return Ana's hat.
> 
> Also, if you haven't read my previous fic, Human, I am basing Lil' Miss Marshmallow (Mother 3) off Electra from Mother 2, which is why Electra and Claus are together. I don't normally ship this pairing, but I thought "why the hell not". You'll see it happen very, very soon...
> 
> On a different note, does anyone else have to submit math homework on Kami? I hate it so much, I literally did all my work on my notebook, and took pictures of it, and gave up on putting it all on the kami assignment for the day. "Show your work" they said. Yeah, it's going great too. At least I turned it in, school is hard.
> 
> Enough rambling, thanks for reading. As always, I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading this note, if you did, I know it's long.


	2. Light of Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ninten reaches toddlerhood, and a now mentally exhausted Lucas has to deal with the newfound mischievous nature of the 3 year old. Lucas brings Ninten to his grandparents house when he turns 4 to celebrate their first Christmas together, and Ninten learns a bad word.

* * *

**_3 years of age_ **

* * *

“Ninten! For the last time, you need to put pants on before you leave your bedroom!”

A now energetic toddler Ninten, now the age of three years old, giggles as he runs down the stairs and into the kitchen as his now father, Lucas, runs after him, holding a pair of jean shorts.

“No!” Ninten shouts, ducking under the wide countertop on the island in the kitchen as he hides behind it, although not very well as he continues to laugh.

Lucas doesn’t understand how this kid was so energetic, and so he stays quiet and slowly creeps up behind Ninten, who has his back turned, a hand over his mouth as he tries in a vain effort to muffle his mischievous laughter.

Ninten audibly shrieks in excitement as his father grabs him, pulling him up into the air as the kid struggles against his chest.

“Ninten,” Ninten’s excitement is so contagious that Lucas lets out a huff of amusement, however he manages to keep his stern composure. “Pants _on._ I won’t say this again.” Although slightly irritated, Lucas manages a smile as Ninten visibly pouts and deflates. Deciding it was safe, Lucas finally sets him down, holding out the garment in his hand.

“Now, do you think you could do it yourself, or do you want me to help you?” Ninten stares at the jean shorts, before turning his gaze to Lucas, and finally to the exit. Lucas’s lips thin as it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots, and before Ninten can dash off, he takes a hold of the back of shirt, the toddler letting out a gasp as he is stopped by his shirt.

“Ninten.” Ninten turns, his pout bigger than before as he glares at the garment.

“Don’t wanna.” The corner of Lucas’s lips quirks up as he resists the urge to laugh, seeing Ninten’s cheeks puff up in indignation.

“Why not? You’ll catch a cold if you don’t wear anything.”

“No. Hot.” Ninten gestures towards the window, where sunlight shown through in radiate beams, illuminating the kitchen in a soft light.

“Well,” Seeing as Ninten would not be persuaded, Lucas lowers the tone of his voice, making Ninten perk up in curiosity, as his dad only ever did that if he was telling a story. “I heard that if you don’t wear pants, a very ugly and scary alien will come out of the sky and eat you up.”

At this, Ninten gasps. His eyes shone in visible fear as his mouth gaped wide. “A-Alien?”

“Yes.” Lucas moves closer, kneeling down to reach the toddler’s level as Ninten stares at him, his eyes the size of dinner plates. “The alien’s name is Giegue, and he hasn’t eaten in 100 years, so he’s very hungry.” Lucas’s eyes glint as Ninten squeaks in horror. “I bet he’s looking for the chance to eat little boys like you that don’t wear pants.”

“No!” At this, Ninten begins to shake and he turns his face away. Lucas frowns, setting a hand on the boy’s cheek to turn his face towards him.

“Ninten?” The boy stares at him, his face frozen in fear as his lips begin to tremble. At this, Lucas knew he had gone a bit far.

“Ninten, there’s something about the alien that most people don’t know. Do you want to hear it’s secret?” He smiles encouragingly at the boy, who blinks. Curiosity begins to get the best of him, as he tilts his head to the side.

“Secret?”

“Yes.” Lucas’s smile did not waver as he moves his hand down to Ninten’s shoulder, squeezing playfully. “The alien is very lonely, and wants a friend.”

“G-Giggy is lonely?” Lucas gives a short laugh at how Ninten butchers the name completely, however he continued.

“Yes. And he would like nothing more than to be friends with a brave boy named Ninten who wears pants.” With this, Ninten’s eyes move from his dad’s face to the jean shorts, almost amazed as he stares at the article of clothing like he had never seen it before and it was something new.

“Now,” With a blink, Ninten looks at Lucas again, who wears a kind smile and holds up the jean shorts. “What do you say we go and put this on you so you can be friends with Giegue?”

Ninten nods so fast, Lucas thinks that he might get a headache by how enthusiastic he was.

* * *

_**4 ½ years of age** _

* * *

“Cookie!” Ninten giggles as he claps his hands together, cheering as Lucas sets down a bowl and several measuring cups with a smile.

“Cookies.” Lucas agrees, and he ruffles Ninten’s hair, making him giggle even more. “Now, what are we supposed to do before we touch food?”

Ninten frowns, and scrunches his face up in concentration as he thinks. Realization washes over his face as he smiles again, and makes to walk towards the sink. He holds out his hands, raising himself up on his tippy toes as he tries reaching for the faucet.

“Clean.” Lucas nods approvingly, and picks Ninten up, setting him down on a yellow stool, giving him the height to reach inside the sink.

“Yes, Ninten, clean. Make sure to lather the soap for 20 seconds and then wash your hands thoroughly.” Ninten nods, and reaches towards the soap to begin washing his hands.

“Clean.” He echoes, and attempts to turn the faucet on, gasping when cold water rains down on his previously warm little hands. “C-Cold!”

Lucas chuckles, and leans forward to adjust the water to a more suitable and warmer temperature. “We need to make the temperature warmer, so it’s not cold. In the middle, okay, Ninten?”

“The middle, yeah!” Ninten nods happily, and when he finishes washing his hands, he wipes his hands on the blue and white tea towel, before stepping away and drying his hands even more on his shirt. He watches his father do something to the oven, and it beeps before emitting a continuous low hum.

“Alright, the oven is preheating.” Lucas comes back towards the counter and pushes aside an empty tray, before ripping two sheets of wax paper out of the box, while Ninten watches in curiosity. He turns towards Ninten, holding a rubber spatula out towards him. “Do you know why we are making cookies?”

Ninten takes the spatula, however, curiosity, as always, gets the best of him as he tilts his head. “To eat them?”

Lucas gives a small laugh, ruffling Ninten’s hair with one hand while the other opens a bag of brown sugar. “Well, yes, but also, we’re actually making them as a gift, little guy.”

“Gift?” With that, Ninten smiles brightly. “I like gifts!”

“Everyone likes gifts, that’s right, Ninten.” Lucas agrees, and he sets down the bag, turning towards the sink to move the stool near the counter, so that Ninten could reach the ingredients. “But we’re making them for the family.”

“Uncle Claus?” Ninten asks, as he watches his dad start to open a packet of butter and place it into a bowl, excitement beginning to creep up his insides like jolts of lightning.

Lucas smiles at him, picking up the bag of white sugar as he nods. “Yes, Uncle Claus. But also his girlfriend, and your grandparents.”

“Uncle Claus is the bestest!” Ninten gasped, in awe just thinking about one of the most fun people he knew. Uncle Claus was the coolest person ever! However, his face scrunches up in confusion as he thinks about the last part of Lucas’s sentence. He watches Lucas measure the sugar and with a whir, the mixer turns on, and he starts to mix it into the bowl for a few moments. “But, daddy, what are grand-pear-rents.”

“Well,” With that, the humming from the mixer stops as Lucas stops mixing, and looks at the mixture thoughtfully as if formulating a proper response to the 4 year old’s question. “They’re my parents, just like I’m your parent.” He nods, satisfied at this, before he continues to mix. “If you have kids one day, I would be their grandparent.” Lucas then sets the mixer down, and turns towards Ninten, handing him two carefully measured cups of white powder. “Slowly dump the flour and the baking soda in the other big bowl, okay? And be very careful, don’t spill it.”

“Okay.” Cautiously, Ninten tips both powders into an empty bowl, watching a cloud of flour and baking soda rise up from the disruption, intrigued. “That’s a lot of pear-rents.”

“Yes, definitely.” The refrigerator opens once again, and this time Lucas pulls out a carton of eggs. “Okay, now the eggs and vanilla- careful!” Lucas immediately reaches for the bag of sugar as Ninten accidentally knocks it dangerously close to the edge in his earnest attempt to take the eggs from Lucas.

“Sorry!” Ninten squeaks, and this time, in a more careful manner, he takes the carton, and opens the lid before pushing the two bowls together. “So am I a pear-rent too?”

“Not yet, Ninten.” Lucas laughs as he adds a bit of salt and brown sugar into Ninten’s mixture before handing the spatula back to Ninten. “It’s a bit too early for that right now. Alright, just mix slowly, alright. I’ll take care of the eggs.”

Ninten hums in agreement, although he isn’t sure what his dad means entirely. He mixes the bowl slowly, watching his dad crack eggs open and add them to the other bowl, as well as a few drops of some kind of brown liquid that made Ninten’s stomach rumble in hunger at its fragrance. Still, ever the curious boy, he asks another question, as they’re both mixing their respective bowls.

“What is a girl-friend.” This makes Lucas pause for a moment, hovering over the bag of chocolate chips before picking it up, and earning Ninten a small laugh.

“It’s also way too early for that too.” Lucas holds up the unopened bag of mini Hershey kisses. “Now, how much chocolate should we put in?”

“All of it!” Ninten cheers, and Lucas laughs again, shaking his head as he opens the bag and measures out a cup of chocolate chips, and then half an extra cup for Ninten’s sake before folding the bag up and clipping it shut with a snack clip.

“Ever the sweet tooth, Ninten.”

“Chocolate! Chocolate!” Ninten chants as Lucas pours in the wet ingredients, and as Ninten mixes the dough, he watches, with delight, and marvels at the amount of chocolate being poured into the bowl. He almost reaches in to take a bite, but the bowl is taken from him as if his dad could read his thoughts.

Lucas smiles at his slight pout, shaking his head as he pulls a paper lined tray towards him with his other hand. Feeling satisfied with the firmness of the mixture, Lucas starts to scoop out balls of dough to lay on the sheet. “Ninten, you’ll get sick if you eat the dough. Remember what happened last time?”

“Oh yeah.” Ninten nods, remembering how he had thrown up last time he tried to eat raw cookie dough. “My tummy hurt.”

“Yes, so we have to wait, okay? Be patient.”

“But it smells so yummy.” He whines, reaching towards a ball before his hand is pushed away, and he pouts even more.

“Yeah, well it’s not going to feel so yummy.” Lucas chides, and Ninten continues to watch, growing hungrier and hungrier by the minute as the smell of cookie dough and chocolate wafts into his nose, and continues to tempt him.

“I am going to die.” He announces grandly, and Lucas snorts at his comment as he finishes with the dough balls, and picks up the tray. He spares Ninten a look, smirking at the hungry glint in his eyes as Ninten watches the tray like a hawk.

“It’s only for about 10 minutes, little guy, you’ll live.” He pushes the tray into the oven, and with a few beeps, Lucas closes the oven door and turns towards Ninten, and pushes him towards the sink to wash their hands.

He laughs as Ninten’s eyes grow wide as he attempts to count to 10 on his flour caked fingers.

“10 is so long!” Ninten complains, as he steps up onto the stool, and Lucas turns the faucet on with his wrist. Thankfully, the water felt lukewarm this time, and Lucas hums as he lathers both his and Ninten’s hands in soap, before taking Ninten’s hands and washing their hands together.

“No it’s not.” Lucas takes the blue and white towel from above the sink and dries both of their hands with it, proceeding to move back and let Ninten down from the stool.

Ninten gives him a sad puppy dog look, and Lucas snorts as Ninten drops to the floor dramatically.

“Bleh, I am dead.” Lucas watches with amusement as Ninten sticks his tongue out in a cliche fashion, allowing the kid a few moments of indulgence before he bends down and picks him up. He secures Ninten to his chest, and after he glances at the oven to double check the timer, he brings Ninten to the living room to wait.

“What an actor.” Ninten squirms but doesn’t struggle when he finds the most comfortable position and decides to take a nap. He rests his head on Lucas’s shoulder and mumbles something into his shirt.

“What was that, little guy?” Ninten raises his head a little, and his voice, although laden with fatigue, was more clear.

“I’m going to go be dead now, in Cookieland. Go bye, bye.” Lucas shakes his head, and bumps Ninten up a little to support him with one arm.

“Alright, you can sleep for maybe half an hour, but then we have to go and get dressed, alright?” Lucas feels him nod, before he rest his head on him once more. Lucas chuckles and runs a hand comfortingly through Ninten’s hair, who lets out a content sigh.

“M-kay.”

•••

This house is definitely different, and Ninten isn’t sure how to feel about it.

Sure, it has a few bright Christmas lights here and there, and the air smells much cleaner in this part of Tazmily, but Ninten doesn’t like how devoid of neighbors this house was, or how dark the forest was around them. What if the darkness got him and dragged him off to the forest, and Lucas wasn’t around to save him?

A hand rests on his shoulder, and Ninten looks up. Although half of Lucas’s face was dark with shadows, he feels a bit better when he sees the gentle smile on the illuminated side of Lucas’s face.

“Are you alright, little guy?” Ninten nods, and turns towards the house again. He glares at the big lit up snowman in the front yard, not liking the crooked way it grins with its buck teeth as it leers at him.

The door to the house opens, catching his attention, and Lucas takes a hold of his hand, his other hand occupied with a festive basket of cookies, leading him forward towards a kind looking woman who stood at the door. Now curious and much more closer, Ninten looks up at her, wondering how her gray streaked brown hair was so long.

“Lucas, sweetheart, it’s been a while.” The woman greets his dad with a smile, and pulls him in for a hug. Intrigued, Ninten tilts his head at the gesture, and his motion does not go unnoticed by the woman, who meets his gaze, her smile widening. Ninten immediately goes to hide behind Lucas, blinking up at the woman, who seems more amused than offended at his action.

“And who’s this little guy?” At this, Lucas nudges him gently, coaxing him out from behind him, and Ninten glances at both of them, noticing how similar both of their smiles were.

“Ninten, would you like to introduce yourself?” Slowly, he moves out from behind Lucas, and although he continues to clutch his hand tightly, he moves enough so that he is in full view of the woman, who wore the same smile as his dad.

“Hi, I’m Ninten, and I’m 4. I think you’re very beautiful.” Ninten blurts out, and the woman laughs gently, her laughter sounding like bells as she smiles at him endearingly.

“He’s a little charmer, isn’t he? And a bit shy like you when you were younger.” She observes, directed to Lucas, who laughs, and gently moves Ninten forward a bit more.

“I guess he does take after me a bit.” He smiles down at Ninten, who’s watching the whole interaction with a curious look. “Ninten, this your grandmother, and my mother, Hinawa.” At this, Ninten feels like he finally understands what Lucas meant by grandparents. This time, he grins, feeling a little better about this meeting.

“It’s very good to see you, Mrs. Hinawa.” Hinawa opens the door wider, moving to the side to let them in. Already, Ninten could feel the warmth radiating from inside, hearing the laughter of people inside.

“It’s very nice to meet you too, little prince charming.” She gives him another meaningful smile, before gesturing inside. “Now come inside, you must be cold, and I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“Ninten was making claims about dying multiple times when we were baking cookies.” Lucas hands Hinawa their basket as they step inside, and she laughs as she takes it, and Ninten pipes up.

“I died.” Ninten states with a goofy smile, and his eyes close for a moment at the sensation of his hair being ruffled, although when he opens his eyes Hinawa is the one with her hand in his hair and a smile on her face.

“What’s this I hear about dying?” Another voice is audible, and Ninten glances in the direction it came from, before his face lights up.

“Uncle Claus!” He shrieks, and he runs towards the open arms of a tall ginger man with sharp green eyes, who’s now crouched down to his height and is laughing.

“Hey kiddo.” Ninten laughs as he squeezes Claus, who grunts. “You’ve got a hell of a grip there, kid.”

“Language, Claus, there’s a kid around.” When Ninten finally let’s go, he’s face to face with an unfamiliar pink haired woman, who’s smirking at him.

“Hey, you must be Ninten, I’ve heard a lot about you from Clausey here.” She reaches down and pinches Claus’s cheek, who makes a noise of protest, before she’s extending her hand towards Ninten for a high-five. “I’m Kumatora, one of your pop’s old friends. It’s nice to finally meet you, superstar.”

Ninten grins at this, liking the family Lucas mentioned already. He complies and their hands clap together, and Kumatora grins back at him.

“I can’t believe Ninten already likes you better than me, and you’re one to talk about language.” Claus huffs, hurt, although he’s wearing his familiar crooked smirk as Ninten glances at him, concerned, and waves him off. “Don’t worry, figures that Kuma would be chill with you. Also, if you’re here, that means good old Lucas is too.” He strides over to where Lucas is across the room, and claps him on the shoulder, and Ninten watches as Lucas turns, his expression one of shock as he pulls Claus in for a hug.

“Hey superstar.” Ninten’s attention is turned towards Kumatora’s as she grins at him. “You hungry?”

Ninten nods at this, eager for something to satisfy his poor aching stomach. “Mhm!”

“Well let’s go get something to eat then, I’m fuck- I mean freaking starving!” Ninten tilts his head, curious at her sudden change of words.

“What does ‘fuck’ mean?” Ninten asked, curious as to why Kumatora’s face turned a faint shade of red. He hears footsteps and a hand rests on his head.

“Ninten, don’t say that, it’s a bad word.” Ninten smiles up at his dad, who ruffles his hair as he levels a look at Kumatora. “Are you teaching my kid how to swear?”

“Nope, it was an accident, honest!” Lucas gives her another suspicious look, but the nervous smile of her face when it hits her that Lucas is standing next to her is replaced by a genuine one. “Lucas, man I haven’t seen you in forever. Wow, you used to be so much shorter, now look at you!”

Lucas rolls his eyes, although good natured as he smiles. “It really has been a long time. How’s Duster?”

“His old man’s still seems to have something stuck up his- ah, butt.” She catches herself as Lucas gives her a warning look, and Ninten giggles at the word ‘butt’. “But he’s doing great, y’know he’s planning to teach at Polestar Middle School. History, or something.”

Lucas’s eyebrows raise slightly at this apparently new piece of information, and Ninten is growing a bit restless and he’s very hungry, which Kumatora seems to have forgotten, so he untangles himself from his dad and goes to find something to eat without Kumatora.

Something smells delicious from the room to the left of the entrance, and after inhaling, Ninten grins, and decides to go there. He doesn’t miss taking a moment to look around, though, bright fairy and festive lights alike are decorating the rustic looking wooden walls, and to the right of the entrance, Ninten gets a glimpse at what looks like a living room, with a few people in it. There’s a few golden orange themed couches, and they were loosely surrounding a thick light red rug. It turns out that there was a fireplace in that room, in the square imprint in the wall, which was what was warming the house up, and there was even a full sized Christmas tree decorated in the corresponding red and white with lots of presents under it near the corner of the room.

Ninten immediately wonders if the cookies he and his dad had made would be a good gift, now seeing all the wrapped ones underneath the tree. He glances back towards his grandmother, who’s holding them, and startled when he realizes she’s already walking towards him with a smile on her face.

“Are you hungry?” He nods for what feels like the hundredth time tonight, and Hinawa laughs.

“You must be starving, I’m so sorry you had to wait so long. Come, let’s go get something to eat, and there’s also someone I want to introduce you to, little one.” Intrigued, Ninten follows her, and the dining room they enter is filled with people. Hinawa greets a few of them, and some people glimpse Ninten, smiling at him.

Ninten feels amazed at the amount of merriness and joy he’s experienced from everyone, when a blond woman passes him a plate of presumably nut cookies and a cup of what looks like apple juice. Ninten takes a sip, grimacing when he feels it burn his tongue. He sets down the ‘spicy drink’, not liking the bubbles that kept moving through the cold liquid.

He realizes they’ve stopped when Hinawa stills, and she moves aside, and he’s left gazing up at a man wearing a cowboy hat, and a bandana just like his.

“Ninten, this is my husband, Flint, your grandfather.” Ninten gaped at him, setting down his plate, and just took in how big this man was, and the man let him, seeming content to just observe his behavior.

“Hi Mr. Flint, I’m Ninten!” Ninten looks down to his own bandana, and he tugs in it, beaming up at Flint, who looks at him curiously. “Look! We match!”

Flint is quiet for a few more moments, and then he leans forwards, and a small but gentle smile covering his face. “Little tyke ain’t he? Got a lil’ bit of Claus in him.” Ninten listens, entranced by the slight drawl in his accented voice.

“Lucas sure raised him well.” They share a smile, and Flint looks down when he feels a tug on his shirt. Ninten’s looking up at him with a curious look on his face.

“Are you my grandpa?” He asks, and lets Flint pick him up and place him on his lap.

“Sure am, kid.”

“Oh wow, cool! A grandpa! Daddy told me what grand-pear-rents are, but I was still con-fuze-de.” Ninten swings his legs thoughtfully, liking how high up he was, and how he could see everyone in the living room from here.

“Really?” Ninten pauses in his thoughts at the weak tone in Flint’s voice, and he turns, confusion written on his face as he meets Flint’s teary brown eyes.

“Grandpa? Are you okay?” He leans closer to the man, who laughs, although a bit shakily, and pulls him in for a hug.

“Never thought I’d see the day, where one of my kids done raised one of their own. Good kid, too.” Flint laughs again, before he reaches into his shirt pocket, and Ninten watches him pull something shiny out of it.

Flint hands it to him, and Ninten turns it over in his hands, observing the shape. It was a round piece of metal almost as big as his little palms, attached to a sharp pin, and etched into the center of the circular metal was a lightning symbol that glinted gold.

“What is it, grandpa?” Flint nods at him, taking the object into his hands, before pinning it to Ninten’s shirt.

“It’s called a courage badge, kiddo. I gave one to Lucas when he was a young’un, and now I’m giving one to you. Reckon this old thing will work like a charm, and keep you safe.” Flint leans back, and continues to observe the child, who is marveling over the badge. Ninten looks at it in awe, he’s never seen something so shiny before!

“This will keep me safe?” Ninten asks, fascinated as he runs a finger over the smooth metal surface of the badge now pinned to his shirt. He can’t seem to tear his eyes away from it, and Flint nods.

“Yes it will, it sure did it’s job when I was young. Saved me my life when I was wrestling snakes back in the day.” With that, Ninten snaps up, his attention captured as he does a double take, wondering if he heard him correctly.

“Snakes?!” Ninten gapes at him, moving closer for a story, and Flint chuckles, wiggling a finger at him.

“That’s a story for next time, little fella. I think it’s best we eat something, get something into that little stomach of yers’. Little fella like you has got to eat to grow up big and strong.” Ninten leans back, and meets his eyes. He tilts his head, a questioning flint in his eyes as he gazes up at the man.

“Like you?”

“Oh boy, I sure did eat a heck lot back when I was yer’ age.” Flint scratches his forehead in thought. “But now I’m all big and strong, so yea, eat little fella, eat when ya still got time to grow.” With that, he sets Ninten back down on the ground and gets up. Ninten grins at him, and flashes him a thumbs up.

“Okay!”

•••

He meets a few more people during dinner, Lucas tells him the man with white hair- who Ninten thought was Santa Claus- was actually his great-grandfather Alec, a blonde and friendly woman named Electra, who Ninten saw, interacted a lot with Claus. Ninten suspected that she may have been the girl-friend Lucas was talking about. Then, there was the family dog, Boney, who wasn’t a person, but was still important and was part of the family. Boney seemed to like him a lot, constantly following him around and laying down under his chair in the duration of dinner, and Ninten thinks that he’ll definitely be sad when they’ll have to leave the next day.

Dinner itself had also been an interesting part of the night. Ninten had sat next to his dad, who was on his right, and Uncle Claus on his left, and with Boney constantly pawing at his legs, he felt much better being so close to the window near the forest. Filled with glee, Ninten had showed his dad his new badge, and there had also been an uproar in the room as Flint announced that he was a grandpa. Ninten was so confused when everyone had looked at him, squirming in his seat as he tried to smile.

He had also met several over people, another middle aged woman named Caroline, who had handed him the plate of cookies and “sparking apple cider” as his father had explained to wasn’t actually spicy, and was just carbonated. More adults, one of his dad and Claus’s friends called Fuel, who Ninten thought looked funny with his hair sticking up all the time.

Claus had also taken him aside after dinner, and asked him if he could keep a secret, and of course Ninten had said yes, intrigued by the prospect of being someone Claus trusted and what he was going to say. Claus had then pulled something out of his back pocket, and showed him some kind of metal circle with a stone in the center that glittered, and he had explained that it was an engagement ring, and that he was going to propose to Electra tonight. Ninten wasn’t sure what that meant exactly, but he had kept his word, and sure enough, a few moments later, Claus had kept his.

Ninten decided that engagements were happy moments, but also wondered if they were sad, being a bit confused because both of his grandparents, Electra herself, and several of the guests were shedding tears when Claus had gotten on one knee.

Overall, Ninten thinks the family is pretty great. Everyone is great, and images of Kumatora’s fierce grin, Hinawa’s warm smile, and the pressure of the courage badge against his chest, as he’s pressed into his dad’s arms once again, whirl in his mind until they blur together, and Ninten feels...

Ninten feels tired, and he yawns, curling closer to Lucas as voices murmur around him, the room noticeably quieter as more and more guests have gone as the night grew older and older, until it was mostly just family, and the few close friends that would be staying over. They had moved to the living room, and he feels Lucas run a hand through his hair comfortingly, and he yawns again, pressing his face into his chest as the gentle strokes continue.

“Claus, have you ever thought about having little ones of your own?” Ninten can hear Hinawa’s gentle voice ask, and a light round of quiet laughter fills the room, as Ninten wonders why Claus hasn’t said anything.

Someone else speaks up, and after running the voice through his memories, his mind lands on a fierce pink haired woman. “It’s a bit early for that, Hinawa. Didn’t Claus just propose?”

“I want more grandkids, Claus, the little fella’s making me miss when ya’ll were children. Good kid too, that one. Lucas, you did good.” Ninten shifts slightly as the rumble of Flint’s voice makes the hand running through his hair momentarily stop, before it continues again, when Ninten lets out a small whine.

A small moment of silence fills the room, only interrupted by the faint crackling of the fireplace, and Ninten almost drifts off, before this time, Lucas is the one that speaks up.

“Ninten is... a blessing,” His father’s voice was soft, and Ninten felt his eyes on him as he continued to run his hands through his hair. “I’m not sure where I would be without him, he’s brought lots of happiness to the household.”

“How is it, living away from us? Are you two doing okay?” Concern fills Hinawa’s voice, and Ninten feels Lucas’s chest shake a little as he laughs a bit.

“Yes, we manage. It was difficult at first, but we managed to work things out.”

“Are you stressed with work, Lucas?” Hinawa is not satisfied with his answer. “The medical field is not the most relaxing field, you know you could always ask if you two need help, we’re always here.”

“I’m getting the hang of it. It was hard at first, because of the volunteering and late night shifts, but I do get paid well, and it’s nice to help people, everything seems fine.” There’s a slight pause, and when he speaks up again, Lucas’s voice is softer. “The head of the department is a kind man.”

There’s another brief moment of silence, and Ninten strains his ears to make out what the quiet voice of Electra said. “Under a bush, you said?”

The silence this time felt tense, but when Lucas spoke once more, his voice was still soft. “Yes, on a cold day like this.” Ninten feels confused, and he shifts slightly, confusion filling him at the sudden change of topic.

“How cruel. How could someone even think about doing something like that to a sweet boy like him, much less a baby.” Hinawa’s voice grew louder, and Ninten realizes that she’s moved towards them, and feels another pair of hands rest on his back.

“It was a miracle, I found him in such a critical state.” His father sighs, and Ninten feels him pull him closer. “I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if I didn’t, but Ninten truly is a blessing.”

“Yes. He sure is something special.” Claus finally speaks up, and everyone lets out a hum of agreement. The room grows quiet once more, and Ninten allows himself to drift off as the warmth of the fire and Lucas’s gentle touch lull him to a comforting sleep.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in 1 day? What is happening. I realized the first chapter was too short, so lo and behold, I have written my longest chapter as of now. Chapter 3 is almost ready, I hope this is enough for now.


	3. Boy Meets Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ninten begins school at the age of 5, meeting friends that become important to him. At the age of 8, he discovers something about his body.

* * *

**_5 years _ **

* * *

“First day of school, are you excited, little guy?” Ninten looks up at his dad, who still towers over him despite Ninten having gained a foot in height. He nods, a slight spring in his step, and he continues to bounce his way to school, eager to meet new people.

The entrance outside Twinkle Elementary is crowded with people, and Lucas’s mouth quirks up in amusement as he watches Ninten look around, his head spinning so rapidly it became a blur of black. There was just so much to look at, and Ninten felt his head spin at the prospect of having so many people in one area. It was almost like the ocean his dad had taken him to when he was younger!

“Wow, it’s huge!” Ninten gasps as they near the crowd and he takes notice of the school itself. With its large white and yellow walls and long glass windows, Ninten gapes at the sight of the huge red door, open, and bursting with people. Almost everything towered over him, and Ninten had never felt this small in his life.

A few minutes later, Ninten found himself inside. He felt like he was being swallowed by a large animal, as he walked into the school, through those huge red door. The school itself was rather bright, with colorful crayon drawings from the students plastered all over the yellow walls as decoration. Posters of all sizes covered what was left of the wall, and bulletin boards took up what was left of that. He reaches for Lucas’s hand, feeling rather intimidated, who smiles at him, giving his hand a squeeze as they continue to walk towards Ninten’s classroom.

Lucas had left soon after walking him to the classroom. He had placed his packed lunch into his cubby (while Ninten had taken to time to marvel at his name written in bold black sharpie on a piece of paper decorated with stars), along with his backpack and supplies, before kissing him goodbye and wished him good luck. It had taken a few more minutes, and a lot of ‘I love you’s’, as a suddenly frightened and teary eyed Ninten had latched onto Lucas’s arm and refused to let go. 

Now he was in a rapidly filling up classroom, and he gazes up at the colorful assortment of decorations and toys, in a daze as he feels slightly overwhelmed.

With so much going on, he barely even notices when someone bumps into him, only snapping to attention when said someone let out a grunt and grabs onto his bandana, or as Lucas had said, a scarf.

“Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t mean to!” Ninten blinks in confusion as the grip on his bandana relinquishes, and a girl about his age comes into his view.

Ninten’s face immediately lit up in excitement. Oh boy, he was about to make his first friend! “It’s okay!”

The girl gazes anxiously at him with nervous blue eyes, and Ninten notices that she’s twiddling with a little pink boat hat with her hands, and he points towards it.

“I like your hat.”

The girl’s face lights up, and she smiles. “Oh, thank you! Um,” Again, she was hesitant. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Ninten, what about you?” 

“Ana, it’s really nice to meet you, Ninten.” She whispers, a soft smile on her face as she glances up at him through her lashes, and Ninten feels his face heat up.

“Oh wow, t-thanks.” Ninten stutters. He looks away, clearing his throat as he shuffles his feet on the music themed carpet. “S-So, wanna be friends?”

“Of course.”

Ninten tells his dad all about school after the preschool class was over, about the blonde girl called Ana, a smart boy named Lloyd who hides in trash cans, and about Teddy the 3rd grader who looked so cool and tough but secretly loved to sing.

* * *

**_ 8 years old _ **

* * *

Ninten notices a lot of things in the last week before Teddy moves to Merrysville.

He notices that even though there were many empty spaces in the bus, Teddy still chose to sit with them, and the four of them huddle into a seat on the school bus meant for three people.

He also notices that Teddy’s smile was much nicer than his usual smirk, and that he’s going to miss him. Lloyd and Ana seem to share his feelings, because when the bus drops them off at their stop, they’re huddled around the soon to be 6th grader like moths to a lamp, and although he doesn’t show it, Ninten can tell he’s wearing a smile in his eyes under those bold red sunglasses.

“Dad said he’s going to make cookies for us, it’s a gift!” With that, Teddy lets the three kids pull him towards Ninten’s house, and when they reach the red door,Ninten rings the doorbell, grinning at Teddy excitedly.

The door opens, and Lucas has a smile on his face as he welcomes the children in, taking a moment to ruffle Ninten’s hair. Ninten notices this wistful look on Teddy’s face, but it’s gone so soon that Ninten thinks he might’ve imagined it. Then it happens again, when Lucas smiles warmly at Teddy, and ruffles his hair as well.

Lucas tells them that the cookies are almost ready, and ushers them all outside to go play, and that’s when Ninten announces that they should play baseball, a sport he has grown to love.

Soon enough the four were running all around the backyard. It’s hot, being the middle of June, and sure enough even Lloyd was sweating even though he wasn’t participating much in the baseball game.

Ana had decided to take a break, and the three had followed suit, and now they’re sitting in the shade of an umbrella in Ninten’s porch, and Lucas has come out with a platter of nut cookies. It’s hot, he had warned, and a very hungry Ninten had nearly scalded himself by digging in without a care.

Sharp pain jolts from his ribs. and Ninten gasps, clutching his side as he feels an elbow jab at him. He looks up, a glare on his face as he looks at Ana, who’s sitting next to him and is wearing a sly grin.

“What?”

“Teddy asked you something.” Ninten narrowed his eyes, and switches his gaze to Teddy, who’s smirking at him.

“I bet I can hit the ball harder than you, brat.” Ninten looks up, his lip thinning as he sits up straighter when he realizes Teddy was talking to him.

“Yeah?” Ninten rests his chin on his hand as he frowns at Teddy. “What makes you say that?”

“You hit like a girl.” A scoff from Ana is heard as she takes offense to that statement, and lets out an inaudible huff as she turns away, and Teddy smirks, ignoring her. “You look like one too.”

This makes Ninten mad, and he glances at Ana, before getting up and brushing the cookie crumbs off his shirt. No way was he going to let Teddy humiliate him in front of her, he’d show him!

“Bring it, teddybear.”

“Attaboy.” Ninten gasps and stumbles as Teddy claps him on the back, hard, slinging his arm around his shoulders, and walking him back out to the yard. Ninten manages a weak smile, glancing back at an amused looking Ana and mouthing ‘help’, regretting his decision and his impulsiveness. 

Ana giggles at this, and only waves to him as they stop, and Ninten nearly falls over when Teddy slugs him in his arm, chuckling as he tosses his bat at him.

“Aight, let’s do this!” He tossed the baseball up and down in his gloved hand, a cocky grin on his face as Ninten eyes the ball warily, following the movement. “Have at it!”

Then, time slowed down. Ninten can only blink as Teddy’s arm moves so fast that it turns into a red blur, and suddenly he finds himself on the ground.

And then delayed pain kicks in, making him groan and fall over, clutching his stomach as he curls up.

“C’mon kid, you can do so much better than that!” Ninten grits his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as he ignores him, tensing to the pain in his stomach. The baseball rolls away from his shirt as he forces the tears away and tries desperately not to cry in front of Teddy.

“Ninten! Are you alright?”

Ninten mutters a sound of agreement, focusing and then latching onto the sound of Ana’s voice. Two pairs of footsteps make their way over to him, and that’s when he gets up, taking a deep breath as the formerly sharp pain fades into a dull throb.

He was not going to be babied by his friends! He pulled the bill of his cap to the back of his head and readied his bat, a determined look in his eyes as he glares at Teddy.

Teddy‘s smirk never fades. “One more time?” He suggests, and Ninten bites his lip, feeling a faint rush of anger trail up his stomach unpleasantly at the mocking edge in his voice.

The older shrugs, and this time as his arm blurs, Ninten is ready, and there’s a loud crack as his bat makes contact with his target.

A wild grin lights up his face as he raises a hand over his eyes like a visor, watching the ball gain air. Even Teddy, previously focused on pitching had stepped aside and watched it fly through the air, and they watch as it gains altitude, making it’s way across the whole backyard, across the fence, and then Ninten’s smile fades away completely as it crosses into his neighbor’s backyard and makes it’s way towards the living room window.

With a crash, Ninten feels his stomach turn, as involuntary swearing comes from the broken window. He slowly turns towards Teddy, who is clutching his sides with an arm as he roars with laughter, and then towards Ana and Lloyd, who mirror his look of horror.

“That’s what I’m talking about right there! That’s my fucking  _ boy _ !” He claps Ninten on the back again, and Ninten manages a weak smile as he shuffles in place awkwardly. Maybe that wasn’t so bad.

The excitement is short lived as the door to the house next door slams open, and a red faced and angry old man with triangular white hair and facial hair comes out. He’s storming towards them as he mutters curses under his breath, and he’s followed by a tall bum looking man with magenta colored pants.

“Ninten!” The man roars, and Ninten is so screwed, and he knows it. He chances a glance at Teddy, who has yet to rid of his laughter, and instinctively hides behind him. Another look at the cranky man’s expression makes him want to vomit, and Ninten swears he’s going to die when the man rips open the latch to the gate, and lets himself him.

He was standing right in front of them now, and Ninten’s close to hurling. He can feel the angry glare on him, like a pit bull, and he shuffles his feet as he finally looks up and meets the man’s eyes, managing a weak halfhearted smile.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Wess.”

“Some afternoon  this is! What do you think you’re playing at?” Wess makes a move to come closer, but Teddy beats him to it, shielding him with his shadow.

“Why the hell are you here, old man. Get off the property.”

“This little shit broke my god damn window, and I know it’s him because he’s the only damn crazy kid that plays this fucking sport in this stinkin’ neighborhood! Almost made that useless son of mine spill my lunch!” Wess growls, stepping closer as he glares at Teddy. “Who the hell are you anyways.”

“Name’s Teddy.” With that, Teddy gives his signature smirk, but Ninten tenses when he hears the dangerous edge in his voice. Teddy crosses his arms, and even though he’s 11, he looms over Wess by a foot. “Get off our lawn, ya old geezer.”

“Don’t give me that young man. Fucking teenagers, so goddamn disrespectful.” Wess gives him a disgusted look, and Ninten feels a squeak of fear lodge behind his throat when Wess turns his angry gaze towards him. “Ninten, you brat. C’mere before I get angry.”

“No one’s going anywhere.” Teddy growls, a warning in his voice as he and Wess have a stare down. The padding of grass signifies Ana and Lloyd’s entrance, and they stand next to Ninten, equally scared looks on their faces as they look at Wess, who’s eying Teddy down.

“Yeah? Face it brat, I used to work on the force. Back in my day I _killed_ criminals. You know, one’s that might’ve looked like _you_ when they were younger.” Wess’s voice lowers as he takes a step forward, and Ninten begins to panic. “You don’t wanna get messy with me.”

“Beat it, old man.” Teddy proceeds to spit at the ground near Wess’s feet, and although Ninten feels scared of the Wess’s reaction, there’s a counterpart of awe that’s visible on his face, and is reflected on Lloyd’s, as they look up at Teddy like he was the coolest thing ever. 

This is, until Ninten feels pressure against his neck, and he grabs at his throat with a gasp, his shirt pressing against it as Wess pulls Ninten towards him by the back of his shirt collar. He risks a glance at Wess’s face, and sees the vein throbbing in his temple, his eyes bulging with anger.

“I don’t give a damn what you moron’s are blubbering about, but this little brat right here broke my goddamn window, now he’s going to own up to it like a man!”

Ninten feels his chest tighten as the grip on the back of his collar tightens a significant amount, letting out a choked gasp as the cloth cuts off air passage in his larynx. He frantically looks around, but no one is looking at him, too into the argument going on between Teddy and Wess.

“Holy shit can you just fuck off already?”

He can’t breathe.

”Why don’t  _ you _ fuck off, brat, this conversation is not-“

“Dad...” Ninten manages, feeling his lungs close in as he struggles to breath, dark spots starting to dance at the edge of his vision as he continues to wheeze.

He can barely hear the door open, but suddenly there’s shouting, and then the grip on his collar slackens, before Wess releases him, letting him slump to the ground and sink into warm inviting darkness.

•••

_ -horrible. How could you even  ** think ** about doing that- _

_ I told you I’m sorry! I didn’t mean- _

_ -could’ve killed him. I should just sue- _

_ -broke my window- _

_ You nearly  killed him ! I’d say that’s enough- _

_ Fine, forget the window. _

_ Good. Now please leave, I don’t think he wants to see you. _

**_ Ninten please wake up. _ **

•••

When Ninten wakes up, he has to fight to keep his eyes open as the blinding white walls and fluorescent lights nearly blind him. A few moments of struggling allow him to finally sit up, looking around.

“How are you feeling, little guy?” His gaze land on the figure of a tired looking Lucas sitting besides his bed on a metallic pull up chair. He’s holding a cup of water, and he smiles at him when their eyes meet.

Ninten feels a grin spread over his face as he beams at him. “Dad!”

He eagerly leans forward, reaching towards Lucas, who in turn pulls him towards him with his other hand, chuckling. When he pulls away, Lucas hands him the glass. 

“Did you sleep well?”

“Mhm!” Ninten nods, taking a huge gulp of water. He feels a faint pain in his neck as the liquid goes down, and slowly sets the glass down, moving his hand to massage the area as he winces.

“Does it hurt?”

“Um,” Ninten hesitates. “Not really.” 

Lucas’s eyes darken, as he moves his hand away slowly and examines the forming bruise on his neck.

“That Wess, I’m going to have a serious talk with him once I’m down.” Lucas sets his hands down, frowning in concern, and Ninten looks away from his worried expression.

“I’m sorry.” Lucas frowns.

“What for?”

“I hit a baseball into Mr. Wess’s window.” Ninten paused, sparing his father a glance before looking back down at his intertwined fingers. He chewed his lip, fidgeting with his shirt. “Teddy said I hit like a girl, and I wanted to- I wanted to show him I didn’t.”

He glances up at him once more before he continues. “Ana was watching, and I got mad when Teddy said something when I missed, but that’s just because he throws very fast! I just wanted to impress- I mean I just wanted to- _to_...”

Ninten doesn’t look at his dad this time, choosing to continue to fidget with his shirt, feeling anxiety build as a few moments pass in silence.

It’s broken when he feels a comforting pressure on his shoulder, and when Ninten looks up, Lucas is smiling at him, gentle and kind.

“Ninten, it’s alright.” When Ninten looks up in surprise, Lucas thinks again. “Well, it’s not alright that you hit a baseball into Mr. Wess’s window, but I understand.”

When Ninten’s looks back down in disappointment, Lucas leans forward. “You know, Uncle Claus used to be just like you, always getting himself into trouble.”

This time the statement catches Ninten’s attention completely, his eyes widening with shock. “Really, Uncle Claus?” He gasps, a confused frown on his face. “But-But he’s so cool!”

“Good old Claus.” Lucas hums, letting out a quiet laugh as his eyes mist with memories. “Yes, he and his best friend Fuel would get into all kinds of trouble, and they usually dragged me into their mess as collateral damage.”

Ninten frowns. “What’s col-ladder-ral?”

“It just means that whenever they made a mess, I would have to fix it.”

“That’s not very nice!” Ninten exclaims, crossing his arms. 

“Yes, it’s not nice at all. But my point is, that even though you made a mistake, don’t take it too hard on yourself, Ninten. Everyone makes mistakes, it’s a part of growing up.”

They sit in silence, with Ninten processing those words in his head to the best of his 8 year old abilities. 

“Dad?”

“Yes, Ninten?” Lucas smiles.

“Do you make mistakes?”

“Of course I have, love.” Lucas moves closer, and Ninten’s eyes fall closed as he runs a hand through his hair. “Many times, and I still sometimes do. Mistakes are normal, no one is 100% perfect.” With this, Ninten opens his eyes and nods.

They’re silent for a few more moments, until Lucas lets out a laugh.

“Also, if you ever want to impress someone, you don’t need to break someone’s window to do that.”

“Dad.” Ninten whines, his face turning a faint shade of red as he looks away with a huff, making Lucas laugh, ruffling his hair.

“It’s alright, just don’t do it again, alright?”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this a bit late. I’ve been writing fics for other fandoms to ride out writer’s block, so I hope the people reading this will like this. This is unedited, since I haven’t had the time to be able to do so, so I will be sure to edit and read through sometime soon.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
